Holder plate for key cases



March 10, 1953 G, BODEN ET AL HOLDER PLATE FOR KEY CASES Filed July 25. 1949 INVENTORS Geurge Boden Morgan V Duell BY M 'ATTORNEY Patented Mar. 10, 1953 HOLDER PLATE FOR KEY oAsEs George Boden, Waterbury, andMorgan V. Duell,

Oakville, Conn., assignors to Buxton, Incorporated, Springfield, Mass., a corporation of Massachusetts Application July 25, 1949, Serial No. 106,526

This invention relates to improvements in a key case and particularly to a means for assemblin and removing the key holder hooks or loops from the case. i

This invention is an improvement on a type of key case disclosed in the George Boden Patent No. 2,114,172, dated April 12, 1938, wherein provision is made of a key holder plate formed with a barrel portion having a series of transverse slots cut through therein and merging into enlarged openings for receiving a key loop. A spring actuated lock plate is fitted into the barrel portion by means of which the key loops can be retained or discharged from their respective slots and enlarged openings in said barrel portion.

It is the principal object of this invention to improve the barrel portion of the above referred to patent so that the key loops can be assembled into a key plate without the need of having to manipulate the locking slide plate manually and further to provide means to discharge automatically the key loops by the releasing of the slide plate when said key loop is placed in a certain position relative to the key holding plate.

These and other objects and features of the invention will appear from the following description thereof in which reference is made to the figures of the accompanying drawing.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a front plan view of a key retainer plate showing it as attached to a portion of a leather folder.

Fig. 2 is a back plan view of the key holder plate removed from the folder.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged view similar to Fig. 2 of two adjacent barrel sections and interposed slot of said key holder plate.

Fig. 4 is a transverse view taken along the line 4- 1 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is an upper fragmentary end view of the barrel portion of the plate showing a key loop in position to be discharged.

Fig. 6 is a view similar to Fig. 5 showing the locking plate moved to a position preliminary to the ejection of the key loop, and

Fig. 7 is a front elevation view of a key case showing the key holder plate attached thereto.

In the drawing there is shown a key holder plate similar to that disclosed in the above referred to patent and consists of a cover or leather folder In to which it secured a holder plate ll adjacent one edge of said cover as by means of tubular rivets 12.

The holder plate is preferably made of fiat sheet metal and is formed at one end with a rolled hollow barrel portion 13 of tubular shape in which a plurality of equally spaced transverse slots M are provided and each slot connects into an oifset enlarged opening I5.

8 Claims. (Cl. 70-456) The key holders or loop hooks for holding the keys may be of any conventional form, and usually consists of a spring loop l8 provided at one end with anintegral ball head I! of a size to permit its entrance through the enlarged opening I5 but not through the slot I4, and the wire shank of the loop being such as to permit said loop to move freely and swivel within said slot M.

The lock slide consists of a plate member having a portion 2| that extends through a slot 22 (see Fig. 4) cut into the terminal edge of the barrel portion l3 adjacent the upper face of the holder plate II. The portion 2! is formed with an integral elongated tongue 23 that extends across a rectangular opening 24 in plate H and is guided and supported by a bearing lug 25 struck up from the plate H. A coiled compression spring 26 surrounds the tongue 23 and normally retains the locking slide in a key loop retaining position such as shown in Fig. 1. The rear portion of the locking plate 20 is bent in conformity with the interior of the barrel portion [3 and is provided with a series of U-shaped notches 21 that separate a series of arcuate shaped fingers 28. These fingers are somewhat wider than the transverse slots 14 and are normally positioned so as to block off said. slot [4 at the point where it joins into the enlarged opening l5.

As best shown in Fig. 6 each transverse slot I4 is defined by opposed side edges 29 and 30 wherein one edge 3!! connects into the periphery 3| of the enlarged opening l5 by an inclined surface 32, and opposite edge 29 connects into the periphery 3| by a reversed curved surface 33 which acts in the manner of a cam as will later appear in Fig. 3. When the locking device 20 is positioned in its normal key loop retaining position, the U-shaped notches 21 are disposed in alignment with the enlarged openings l5, and the fingers 28 will be in alignment with the transverse slots 14.

In making an assembly of a key loop I 6 into the barrel l3 of the holder plate II, the head I 1 of the loop is first positioned Within the aligned opening l5 and U-shaped notch 21 and then by forcing the neck or shank 16a of the key loop [6 against the reversed curved cam section 33 the key loop neck Ilia will be guided against the adjacent edge of a finger 28 causing the locking device 20 to be forced to the right as viewed in Fig. 3 or to the left as viewed in Fig. 1 and allow said loop l6 to pass into the transverse slot l4 after which the slide 28 will automatically return to its locked position under the influence of the compression spring 26. When all the loops are assembled they will normally lie in the position as shown in Figs. 1 and 7 after which the said flaps of the folder [0 can be closed in the usual manner.

If it is desired to remove any one or several of the key loops [6 it is only necessary to throw the selected loop or loops to be discharged into an uppermost position as shown in Figs. 1, 4 and 5 wherein the loop will rest against the end edge 34 of the respective arcuate finger 28 closing the transverse slot 14. When in this position the locking slide may be manually shifted to one side by an operating finger piece formed at one end of the slide 23 and positioned'against one end of the barrel I3. When shifted to the left, as viewed in Fig. 1, or to the right as viewed in Fig. 6, the key loop will drop to the position as shown in Fig. 6, that is, to the bottom of the slot [4 where it merges into the enlarged opening 15, and upon release of the operating finger 35 the locking device will automatically return to locked position in the process of which the'loop to be ejected will be forced over to the dotted position as shown in Fig. 5 wherein the U-shaped notch 21 is aligned with the opening [5 and thus allow the key loop to drop out by gravity.

While we have herein described and upon the drawing shown an illustrative embodiment of the invention, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited thereto but may comprehend other constructions and arrangements without departing from the spirit of the invention.

We claim:

1. In a key case, a tubular support having a transverse slot terminating in an enlarged opening offset relative to said slot, a key loop having a head of a size to permit entrance through said opening but not through said slot, a locking member slidably mounted withinsaid tubular support, said locking member having a notch in one edge of such size as to permit the entrance of said loop head, spring means for normally holding said locking member in locked position where said notch will be aligned with said enlarged opening and said slide will close the connection between said slot and said opening, said transverse slot and enlarged opening being so joined that said locking member will be forced to one side in the act of moving said key loopfrom the enlarged opening into the connecting slot.

2. In a key case, a holder plate having a tubular barrel formed at one end, said barrel provided with circumferential slots each terminating in an enlarged opening ofiset relative to the slot, a locking slide mounted in said barrel and having fingers withinterposed notches therebetween, and spring means normally holding said slide so thatsaid notches align with said enlarged opening and said fingers closing the slots at the point where said slots connect into said enlarged openings.

3. In a key case, a tubular support having a transverse slot terminating in an enlarged Opening offset relative to said slot, a key loop having a head of a size to permit entrance through said opening but not through said slot, 2. locking member slidably mounted within Said tular support, said locking member having a notch in one edge of a size to permit the entrance of said loop head, spring means for normally holding said locking member in locked position where said notch will be aligned with said enlarged opening and said slide will close the connection between said slot and said opening, one side of said transverse slot being joined to said enlarged opening by a cam surface of a character to cause said locking slide to be forced to one side'against the influence of the spring in moving said loop from said enlarged opening into its connecting slot.

4. In a key case as defined by claim 3 wherein said cam surface is in the form of a reverse curve.

5. A key holder support for key cases which comprises a tubular member having a transverse slot terminating in an enlarged opening, a locking member having a notch in one edge thereof and slidably mounted in said tubular member for movement axially thereof, spring means for normally holding said locking member in a position where a portion of said notch aligns with a portion of said enlarged opening and an edge portion of the locking member adjacent said notch extends transversely of the slot at the entrance to said opening, said aligned portions of said notch and said enlarged opening being of sufficient dimensions to permit introduction of the head of the key holder, and means to move said member axially of the tubular member to position said edge portion at one side of the slot.

6. A key holder support for key cases which comprises a tubular member having a transverse slot terminating in an enlarged opening, a locking member having a notch in one edge thereof and slidably mounted in said tubular member for movement axially thereof, spring means for normally holding said locking member in a position where a-portion of said notch aligns with a portion of said enlarged opening and an edge portion of the locking member adjacent said notch extends transversely of the slot at the entrance to said opening, said aligned portions of said notch and said enlarged opening being of sufficient dimensions to permit introduction of the head of the key holder, an edge portion of the opening and the opposite edge portion of said notoliconverging toward said slot and forming relatively fixed and movable cam surfaces engageable by a key holder positioned in the opening to cause the locking member to be forced to one side against the influence of the spring when the key holder is moved from the opening into the slot.

7. A key holder support as defined in claim 6 wherein the locking member is provided with means extending outwardly from one end of the tubular member for moving the latter against the action of said spring to move said edge portion of the locking member to one side of the slot.

8. A key holder support as defined in claim 6 wherein the notch in the edge of said locking member is U-shaped and said enlarged opening is offset from said slot.

GEORGE BODEN. MORGAN V. DUELL.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:'

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,088,070 Welch Apr. 21, 1936 2,051,432 Zahn Aug. 18, 1936 2,114,172 Boden Apr. 12, 1938 2,201,833 Koelling May 21, 1940 2201,350 Dawson, Jr. May 21, 1940 2,351 205 Harvey June 13, 1944 2,401,753 Geller June 11, 1946 

